Prosecutors had refused to agree to a deal giving them a shorter prison sentence unless they gave them more information about the drugs trafficking gang and admitted they were not forced to Peru at gunpoint.

The women, both 20, insist they were coerced into smuggling drugs for fear of their lives by Colombians they met in Ibiza where they were working over the summer.

Under Peruvian law the deal they were hoping to strike is called an early termination process and would mean they would automatically receive a six-year eight month jail sentence, an eighth off the minimum sentence for drugs trafficking of eight years.

A spokesman for Callao Criminal Court number four which is investigating the women, confirmed last night the pair had appeared in a private hearing before a judge.

The spokesman said: "This morning, in one of the rooms of Sarita Colonia men's prison, Michaella Connolly and Melissa Reid amplified their statements.

"The hearing in front of judge Pedro Miguel Puente Bardales took place because on September 25 state prosecutors asked in writing that before the early termination hearing which had originally been scheduled for yesterday, the defendants expand on their court statements.

"The court arranged for that to happen.

"A week ago both women had accepted their guilt for the crimes they were accused of, showing their repentance and asking at the same time to be accepted within the early termination process. Yesterday's hearing was private."

It was not clear last night what the women said during the hearing. Prosecutors were not available for comment.

It is thought prosecutors will now take time to review the women's expanded statements before deciding if they are ready to strike a deal.

If they still feel the women are holding back information, they will force them to go to trial where they could face up to 15 years in jail if found guilty.